Rabbit in a Cage
by OzThePikachu
Summary: Elliot is sent to retrieve Alice, a daughter of the Baskervilles, so that she may be reunited with her sister. What he didn't expect was that he'd end up kidnapping the wrong girl... in fact he's not even a girl! Now he has an annoying rabbit to deal with, and more than what he bargained for. NOT ElliotxAlice , Pairing is Ellioz ( Elliot x Oz ) AU
1. Introduction - The Request

"Oz! You're awake?" A girl asked happily, her brown hair fluttering behind her as she ran to her companion, scooping him in her arms. "How did you sleep?" She asked as she hugged him to her chest. The little brown bundle squirmed at the lack of gentleness the girl had as it struggled to breathe.

She laughed and set him down on her lap as she sat down, petting his head with one hand while twirling a strand of her hair with the other. "I wonder if Glen will visit me today." She spoke out loud, purple eyes flickering to the door of her room. The bundle in her arms nuzzled her hand in response, blinking at her. A smile spread across the girls face. "You're my best friend Oz. If something bad were to happen, you'd protect me wouldn't you?"

_'I'll protect you Alice... no matter what. As long as I can see your smile... I believe I can do anything.'_

...

"You're kidding right?" Disbelief drifted off Elliot's voice as he stared at the man in front of him. He looked back down at the sheet of paper containing the request this man was making, then turned his gaze back to him.

"That's the job, take it or leave it." The smile the blond man flashed him was a bit unsettling. The moment this guy had walked up to Elliot, brown hood over his head and holding a pocket-watch the brunet had instantly know something was a little off.

"Why would you even need me to kidnap a little girl? Let alone one from a NOBEL'S home. The Baskervilles are a bunch of scary people, you expect me to waltz in and slip some girl from under their noses?" Elliot demanded, crossing his arms.

"That girl is very important to me!" The man claimed, and Elliot could tell he was making an effort to sound overdramatic, but he wasn't fooled. "She is the offspring of my beloved and I hope to be able to reunite her with her sister!"

"She has a sister?" Elliot asked, he figured it wouldn't hurt just to hear the man out.

"Yes! A twin sister to be exact. I was able to take her with me when I ran from the Baskervilles, but because of that I cannot go and retrieve the second one myself. If I'm spotted Oswa-I mean Glen, will have me killed on the spot." The man finished.

While the man was obviously trying to gain Elliot's pity, he did not seem to be lying. Elliot himself had lost his two older brothers and he understood the pain of being separated from one's sibling. If the objective was to reunite the sisters, Elliot might just agree.

"Give me the details of how I'm going to be doing this." He said simply. He thought he saw a glint in the man's eyes but didn't think anything of it.

"They keep her in a tower that sticks out from the rest of the Baskerville's home. It was built solely for the purpose of keeping her there so there's usually no one but her in there. Occasionally Glen visits her but it's never for more than a few minutes. The last time I saw her, her hair was really long and shiny though I can't be sure it still is, and her eyes are a very unique color." The blond man explained, his long braid swinging around behind him. "You'd probably do best to go in through the window, there's a large tree next to it that you can climb."

"Are there any other girls her age living there?" Elliot asked, since he didn't have any actual reference of how the girl looked he didn't want to mistake someone else for her.

"No, there's a little one around 10 called Lily, an older woman called Lotti and another young girl called Zwei but she's kept locked away so she shouldn't even appear before you."  
Elliot nodded. "And what's the girl's name?"

"Her name is Alice."

"I'll take the job." Elliot said simply, practicaly snatching the money the blond man had been holding out to him earlier and shoving it in his bag as he turned around and walked out.

"One more thing! Be careful, she has a rather special pet rabbit!" The man called out.

"Rabbit? hmph.. I'm not afraid of rabbits."


	2. Memories - Birth

"Alice please hold still." Blond bangs bounced as the poor boy tried to keep his grip on the ridiculously long brown hair that he was attempting to comb. "You're just messing it up again!"

"I can't help it Oz, I sense something in the air, something exciting will happen today for sure!" Alice exclaimed, turning to look at the blond boy as he sighed. "Besides it's not like anyone really visits me, why does it have to be neat?"

"Because you're a growing lady Alice..." Oz argued half-heartedly but have up. He put the brush down and sat down beside the hyper girl. Alice smiled fondly at him and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"I'm so grateful! Because Oz is with me I'm not lonely!" She smiled widely, cuddling closer to the boy, who smiled back. Oz looked around the familiar room that neither he or Alice ever left, the room that might as well have been a prison. The walls were lined with shelves of dolls and stuffed toys. Oz himself had begun as one of those colorful plush animals that provided the only sign of happiness in the empty white room. He closed his eyes as he remembered a boring brown rabbit, sitting on his own, apart from the rest of the dolls. It was Lacie who had given him life. She had picked him up one day, craddled him in her arms and smiled while speaking softly to him, as if he were a baby.

Lacie was a beautiful mage, she had entrancing black hair that fluttered behind her with every step and a set of deep red eyes that spoke of all the magic within her, spoke of her wish for happiness and spoke of the pain she'd suffered. She'd shared a little bit of all that with him, and the sad stuffed rabbit had begun to understand, to think... and to feel. He used to love listening to her tell stories, she spoke of her older brother, of her friend Jack, of her travels and of her dreams. Her soothing voice always filled Oz with happiness and he wished that he could have spent everyday with her. Every second they spent together, every second that Oz felt more and more real... was turning out to be a miracle.

He wasn't sure when it happened but one day he found himself curled up in her lap, breathing gently and blinking up at her as she ran her soft and gentle fingers through his equally soft brown fur. Oz still wasn't able to talk to her, to thank her for making him real, for loving him, but he was able to nuzzle her hand gently, or follow her around the room if she allowed it. For him, that had been enough. Lacie had been like a mother to him.  
She disappeared one day, without an explanation, leaving Oz alone again. He would sit in a corner of that room she loved, waiting day after day for the moment Lacie would walk through those doors once again and sit down to tell him a story as he curled up in her lap. But she never did. Instead that girl had burst into his life one day. She was noisy, she was hyper, she was a little stupid, and she had absolutely no sense of respect. When he first laid eyes on her, Oz had felt a fluttering hope that Lacie had returned. But this girl was not Lacie. She did look like her, a lot in fact, but her eyes were a deep entrancing purple and her hair was a dark chocolate brown.  
Alice was not gentle like Lacie. No, she tossed him aroun, often pulled his ears, liked to mess around with him and once she'd even bitten him! But slowly as the days passed he'd learned to love her, because she was a good girl. She could be really sweet, she was thoughtful, dedicated, stubborn and she was honest. Alice always let her feelings out, complaining to her hearts content when she didn't like something or going on for hours at a time when she was pleased with another thing. Alice was open to the world where Lacie had shut herself out. And Oz couldn't help but love that about her.

It wasn't until one day, when the one Alice calls 'Glen' had come in to visit her that everything was revealed to him. Lacie had never returned, because she had been murdered. Her powers had been considered too dangerous and as a result, she was brought down. The news had hit Oz like a bucket of cold water, along with the relization that Lacie was truly never returning. But that was not the only thing he'd found out that day. Alice, this girl he'd grown so fond of, was Lacie's daughter. Not the way Oz was, she was her real legit blood offspring.  
That day Oz had decided that he would look after Alice, who he now saw as a little sister, and he would protect her. He would return what Lacie once did for him, and repay the love and kindess that both Alice and Lacie had given him from the moment he was born.

The news of Lacie's departing and Alice's origin however, brought with them yet another surprise. Another child, this one of pure white hair and deep purple eyes to match Alice's. Oz had been excited at first, he could have two sisters, and he hoped she'd accept him like Alice had so that he may look out for her as well.  
But this girl did not care for Oz. She barely even spared Alice a glance, she was absorbed by someone else. Entranced by the being known as "Jack Vessalius". The strange blond man had always given Oz the wrong feeling. Like he was hiding something none of them knew. But he allowed the man room, allowed him to visit Alyss and Alice. He'd decided to trust him because he shared tales and memories of Lacie. He would speak of the woman he thought fondly of as his mother, and each time Oz learned something about her that he did not know.

It was because of this trust that Oz found himself conflicted on a stormy winter night.

"Alice let's go! Please, you have to come with us!" Alyss pleaded, her hands clasped together as she stared intently at her twin sister. Alice's face was twisted in confusion and nonacceptance. "This place is a prison! Jack will give us the freedom we deserve!" She continued, glancing at said man who was standing by the large window, a rope in his hand. He smiles encouragingly but Oz could sense Alice did not wish to leave with the man.

"No... I want to stay here." Alice responded, shaking her head to her sister's dismay.

"Alice please!" Alyss begged.

"It's alright Alyss, she will not listen to reason. We can't leave her here though..." Jack soothed the white haired twin and slowly walked up to them. "You'll thank me for this later Alice..." He smiled, hands outstretched.

"What are you.. don't touch me!" Alice yelled at him, backing into the wall. The man continued advancing towards her. "This is what Lacie would have wanted..." He continued to smile.

That's when Oz had pounced.

He'd mustered all of his strength into jumping as far as he could and digging his teeth into Jack's hand. The man yelped and practically flung Oz across the room but the brown rabbit was not going to give up so eeasily. Not when this man was trying to do something against Alice's will. He stood infront of the girl, trying his best to look intimidating.

"Pathetic..." Jack said. "You really are troublesome aren't you?" He then turned around and began walking towards the window. "Another day then."  
Then he left, taking Alyss with him.

-

A/N: ta-dah! New story yaaay. I'm actually really excited for this one and I hope you guys like it. I'm sorry that I went so deep into the past but it was really necessary. I promise Elliot will come in next chapter.

Reviewers get a free Rabbit Oz


	3. Departure - Separation

"Yeah, fuck you too Nature." Elliot muttered as he pushed another low-hanging branch out of this way. He could understand that the Baskervilles had a sickening amount of security all around their territory but that still did not make him appreciate the fact that he was forced to go through the forest area around the castle-like structure any more. Jack had handed him a map with directions a little too specific for comfort and the brunette wondered how often that guy came in here and for what reason.

He growled as another branch appeared before him, it was almost like the forest was purposefully trying to keep him out. By now Elliot's hair was even wilder than usual, sticking up in places that Elliot didn't know was possible, leaves and twigs were stuck to his spikes and little rocks had somehow made their way into his boots. He grumbled and practically ripped the branch out of the way.

"Why did I even take this job?!" He asked no one in particular, grudgingly continuing forward. "That blondie better pay well." Thankfully he arrived a few minutes and more grumbling later. He sighed in relief as he pushed away a bunch of leaves to reveal the large and luxurious walls of the Baskerville manor. Elliot let out a noise of admiration as he ducked behind a few bushes, looking for the window that led to his target's room. He spotted it quickly thanks to the conveniently large tree growing beside it; one he was intending to climb to get in.

Elliot wasn't the most agile person but he had confidence in his strength which he used to pull himself up to the highest branch, trying to be quiet but failing to keep the branches from making racket.

"Come on almost..." He muttered, continuing to crawl slowly.

"There, now your hair looks proper." Oz said, patting Alice's head gently. He opened his mouth to say something else but a rustling outside stopped him. "Alice... Alice!" His voice suddenly took on a panicked note as he stood up as quickly as possible considering the dark green dress he was wearing and grabbed the girls hand, pulling her up along with him.

"Oz?!" Alice asked, confused.

"Someone's outside the window... If it's Jack again then this time I will make sure he leaves once and for all." Oz said, his eyes determined as he looked at her. "I said I'd protect you Alice, and that's what I intend to do."  
Oz's sensitive ears picked up more rustling, this time closer. The blond looked around the room then pulled Alice over to the wardrobe where she kept her clothes, opening the door and helping her inside.

"Stay here Alice, don't come out no matter what." Oz said, gripping one of her hands. "Hear me? No matter what." Alice bit her lip, she considered disagreeing but knew she'd only make thing harder by being there.

Especially after the last time Jack had walked in through that window. She shook her head as she remembered the way Oz's pained wailing had echoed through the room.

"I understand Oz... just, don't do anything stupid or I'll have to go and save your ass again." She smiled at him, her tone teasing lightly.

"Well, hopefully that won't be necessary..." Oz smiled back as he slowly shut the door.

...

"Gah!" Elliot yelled as he pushed himself up onto the last branch, the window right in front of him now. That had been harder than he'd expected but he was here now and this was supposed to be the easy part. He stepped closer and pulled the window open, stepping through it before he could lose his balance. "Damn." He muttered to himself as he stepped into the room and turned around.

"Who the hell are you?" The question wasn't as intimidating as its speaker had probably intended, instead the person sounded confused, even disappointed.

"Obviously I'm Santa Claus." Elliot said sarcastically, turning to look at the one he guessed was Alice. He blinked, the sight he was met with was almost comical. Alice was not at all what he had imagined from Jack's description, she was far shorter than Elliot had assumed, her blond hair was short and messy like a boy's which didn't match Jack's claim that she liked to keep her hair long, her bright green eyes were narrowed and she stood in what Elliot guessed was an attempt at self-defense.

Elliot scoffed and stepped towards her, watching in amusement as she took a step back, her shoulders raising like a scared animal ready to attack. He continued to patiently move towards her until her back was practically against the wall.

"Look... um... Alice, your self defense is pretty crappy." Elliot said, reaching out and gripping one of her wrists to which she opened her mouth to protest but Elliot let go after positioning it. "The way you were holding your arms up would leave you full of holes and it'll be as if you weren't even defending yourself." He spoke as he took her other wrist and positioned it as well. Then he took a step back as if admiring his work.

"There, you see the difference?" Elliot asked, crossing his arms. The girl stared at him for a bit then pulled her arms down, putting her hands at her hips.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The blond repeated her earlier question. Elliot sighed, he wasn't a very patient person to begin with and she wasn't making things any easier, not that he'd expected her to. He stepped towards her again.

"It's not like I expected a different response but this whole treating me like a bad guy thing stings ya know? I'm just doing my job." He said, uncrossing his arms and reaching out for her.

"What are you doing? D-don't touch me!" She stammered. Elliot rolled his eyes and picked her up easily, slinging her over his shoulder. She yelped and automatically began trashing around. "What the hell, put me down!"

"You know for a girl you sure have a mouth on you." Elliot commented as he began walking towards the window. "Ah, I hope we get down alive." He commented casually, if he were to be completely honest he hadn't thought this far.

"For a girl? No, nevermind, what do you mean get down?" She asked, confused.

"It means what it means. We're getting out of here." Elliot replied, slowly losing his patience.

"Getting... " She stopped struggling for a second then started again, more desperately. "No! No, wait! Stop, put me down PLEASE." The girl was practically begging now and the sudden desperate tone in her voice was almost enough to shock Elliot as he reached the window, somehow managing to step outside with her squirming.

"Sorry princess, it's not really an option." Elliot said as he looked down at the ground below them, if he made it to the third branch he would be able to safely jump down the rest of the way, he reasoned as he began to climb.

"Please! No, no, no!" She was shaking now but involuntarily clinged to Elliot in fear of slipping off. Elliot bit his lip, he hadn't expected to feel so guilty about this, after all it was only another job but the way she seemed absolutely petrified of leaving made Elliot hesitate just the slightest. He kept going though and once he was at a safe distance jumped off the branch they were on, landing safely.

"ALICE!"

Elliot froze and looked at the girl in his arms, she was reaching out with both hands towards the tower they had just exited and she looked like she was about to cry. He put her down on her feet but had to hold her up as she seemed to have suddenly lost her strength. Elliot gulped, hesitating suddenly, was this the wrong person? He didn't see anyone else in the room and according to Jack she's not allowed to leave it very often and there are no other girls he could have mistaken with. So if he hadn't made a mistake why was she calling out to herself?

"She's a bit troublesome so I apologize in advance for any inconvenience. She's all kinds of complicated, she's even got a split personality. Her sister does too though, it's quite a curious thing to watch."

Was that it? Was this girl relying on her split personality now? It made sense considering she'd been panicking pretty bad earlier, he'd heard somewhere people rely on split personalities in emergency situations. He glanced at her again, guilt washing over him again as he spoke quietly to himself.

"I have to go back... If I'm not there Alice will... What would Lacie think? What would she say if she saw this." Her voice cracked and he assumed she was holding back tears.

"Hey... look I'm sorry but... I have to finish this job." Elliot said as gently as he could, putting a hand on her shoulder. Then she passed out. "O-oi!" Elliot caught her quickly.

...

"Who the hell are you?" Oz's familiar voice spoke up.

"Obviously I'm Santa Claus." Alice raised an eyebrow, she didn't recognize that voice. She narrowed her eyes as if that would help her identify the voice better. She pressed her face against the inside of the wardrobe, struggling to hear better. That voice echoed through the room again and suddenly Alice began to worry, why was Oz being so silent?

"Look um... Alice... Your self-defense sucks." Alice? Did this person think Oz was Alice? Then he wasn't here by accident, he'd come looking for her and the brunette was willing to bet that Jack had something to do with it all. She clenched her fists and started doubting again, how could she just leave Oz on his own out there? It wasn't like her at all, she would have already come out kicking but the memories of the last incident plagued her mind. The memories of the day Oz had aquired his human form.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Oz's voice floated through the air again, more demanding this time but Alice could hear the doubt in his voice. He must be afraid, she thought, clenching her fists. She hated this, she hated Jack and she hated that girl. Because of them Oz had to suffer so much and even now...

"What are you doing? D-don't touch me!" Oz's sudden outburst snapped her back to reality. Her eyes widened, what would this guy do to Oz thinking it was her? She put her hands against the door, trying to will herself to push the doors open and come to Oz's rescue.

But she couldn't. So she bit back her anger and put a hand over her mouth, stopping the whispers of 'I'm sorry Oz' as she listened to her best friend beg the other voice to stop whatever he was doing.

_"ALICE!"_

She could tell her was no longer in the room but his call didn't reach her any less. She practically kicked the door open and ran to the window, she gripped the edge as she looked around and spotted her best friend's blond hair. Oz was slung across another boy's shoulder, he was taller than both her and Oz and his hair was a light grayish brown. She couldn't see his face but she was able to note how his hair stuck up in strange places and that he carried a black sword strapped to his waist.

She watched with rage as he put Oz down, but the boy seemed to be in hysterics and even from her place at the window she could tell he was shaking. He eventually passed out and the kidnapped had the decency to catch him then pick him up princess style. Then he turned and walked into the forest.

"Wait... Wait don't just take him! Come back! OZ!" Alice cried out, despite knowing he wouldn't hear her now. This boy was taking away her best friend, the one who was always at her side, the one she practically considered a brother and she could do nothing about it. "GIVE HIM BACK YOU STUPID SHIT! Just watch I... I will find you. I will take Oz back and I'll have you begging for my mercy!"

Alice clenched her teeth and turned around. She approached the only door in her room and tugged on it. She was never supposed to leave this room, but she had to save Oz, and she wasn't going to accomplish that from this room. The door suddenly opened, but it had not been Alice who did this. She looked up in surprise as golden eyes looked down at her.

"Alice? What's wrong?" Gilbert asked.

...

A/N: Slow process is slow. ewe

Reviews so I have more motivation please


	4. Confusion - Bonding

Elliot walked around the forest area that separated the Baskerville territory from the rest of Sablier for another twenty minutes before he found a satisfying spot to camp out for the night. He glanced down at the girl in his arms who was still out of it but seemed more like she was sleeping now. He set her down gently and used his coat as a make-shift pillow that he slipped under her head. He pulled away from her and sat down at a spot nearby, looking at her closely.

The brunette watched her for a few minutes. He noted that her shiny blond hair was messier and shorter than he would expect a girl to have, she was wearing a light green dress and black boots. Elliot noted with a blush that she had zero progress in the chest department which was a bit strange considering her age. He sighed and stood up, remembering that he still had to set up their camp for the night.

"At least she looks a lot better when she's asleep than when she's having a panic attack." Elliot muttered to himself. And he meant it, she didn't have the nicest body in terms of curves but she had a nice and cute face that wasn't quite a baby face and still had a slight maturity to it. The brunette wasn't sure if he'd consider her his 'type' but she was definetely attractive. She was even pretty light considering he hadn't struggled the entire time he carried her. If anything Elliot would say she had a boyish air about her, like his sister Vanessa did.  
He shrugged and grabbed his backpack to start preparing something to eat.  
It was only about 15 minutes later that the blond girl began to stir. Elliot glanced over in her direction and then walked over to her as she slowly sat up. She opened her eyes wearily then looked over at Elliot who was now leaning beside her. He held out his hand to her.

"Hey... feel any better?" He asked as gently as he could, noting the way her green eyes shined naturally and stood out among her golden hair. She returned his gaze for a few seconds before smiling sweetly. She slowly raised her arm.

"Yeah, I feel much better. I can think straight now." 'Alice' said softly. Her eyes narrowed suddenly and the tone of her voice turned dangerous. "Mr. Kidnapper."

Elliot barely had time to react before her fist connected with his jaw.  
...

"Oz was kidnapped?" Gilbert repeated for what seemed like the tenth time. He was usually quick to worry but when it came to Oz he was especially protective. Gilbert had arrived at the Baskerville manor when he was 8 after he and his brother had been run out of their old town by angry villagers who believed his younger brother Vincent was damned. Ever since then he'd lived here along with Glen, Vincent, Oswald and, until she passed away, Lacie. When Gilbert had reached the age of 17 however, years after Lacie's death, he'd decided to wander the deeper parts of the mansion and had come across a lonely, but inhabited room. That was where he had met Alice.

Now, years later, Gilbert stood here with her, now at the mature age of 24 and her at 16. Their relationship was a love-hate one, they usually argued and often ended up yelling at each other for hours but at the same time they'd do anything to protect the other and wouldn't actually try to hurt them. When Oz had come along though, things had changed. Gilbert had found it hard to believe it when he walked in one day to visit Alice (as he did ever week at least) and found her craddling a young boy who didn't look much older than the brunette herself. She was saying something to him but the blond had been knocked out cold from whatever had happened.

Alice then explained to Gil, after he managed to calm her a little and they got Oz into Alice's bed, that a man named Jack had been trying to take her with him since Lacie had died. She told him about her twin sister Alyss, and the way that she had left. What Gilbert had barely believed though, was when she told him that the boy sleeping in that room was none other than the brown rabbit that he always saw cuddled up on Alice's lap.

_"I'm not sure exactly what happened... but this time... when Jack tried to take me with him, something was different. Oz protected me though, he bit Jack and then there were a lot of lights... next thing I knew he was like that and Jack was gone."_

Over the next few weeks Gil had started to visit more often, helping Alice take care of Oz's new necessities. He's helped by bringing in extra food, helping Oz get used to the situation and more. Alice and Gil had silently agreed that this had to be kept a secret. Oz himself didn't seem to remember anything about his encounter with Jack, it was like he thought he'd always been able to shift from human to rabbit, something that they'd discovered when Oz suddenly shifted back into his original brown rabbit form one day. Whatever had happened that day all they knew was that no one understood anything, and that Oz could switch between rabbit and human at any moment.

Soon they'd gotten used to it, the three of them grew very close and Oz seemed happy to just be there. The blond talked about Lacie a lot and treated Alice like a little sister. Gilbert would often bring him clothes but because he had to sneak them they were never the correct size and usually Oz wouldn't wear them for more than an hour saying that he simply didn't feel comfortable in such stiff clothing. This had resulted, to Gil's annoyance, in Oz often wearing Alice's clothes instead since they had a very similar body build and dresses were 'simply lighter to move around in'. Alice didn't seem to care either, saying that he was technically an animal anyways and it wasn't like anyone cared.

But now Gil was the one freaking out, and Alice looked even more shaken (though more angry than afraid) than she had the day that Oz had joined them as a human. Gil had intended to visit them again today since he'd been at work for a few weeks and had finally made it home. However right when he was about to knock on the large wooden door it had swung open on its own and revealed Alice, who obviously had every intention of storming right out of that room and to who knows where, something that they both knew, Glen would never allow.

Gilbert had asked her what was wrong and somehow was able to calm her down enough to get her to explain what had happened. As soon as the situation dawned on him though, Gilbert had been anything but calm. Now Alice sat at her bed, arms crossed and watching with her eyes narrowed as Gilbert paced around the room, muttering.

"We can't even go to Glen for help... you haven't told him about Jack so if you mention it now who knows what he'll... nevermind that! What'll he do when he finds out about Oz? What do you think he'd do to him? Not to mention I'm not even supposed to know your or Oz, I'm not even supposed to be in this part of the mansion... Oh my god are we doing anything NOT against the rules?"

"Well that depends on how many of the rules are actually worth listening to." Alice responded smoothly, a small smirk on her face. "In any case while you were freaking out I managed to come up with a plan."

"A plan?" Gil voiced.

"Yeah, get your things. We're gonna rescue Oz."  
...

"Take me back." The blond demanded once again.

"No." Elliot replied, rolling his eyes for the 20th time. After the little blond's fist had connected with Elliot's jaw the brunette had been knocked back a couple of steps. He reacted by quickly, but very politely, tying her with the extra rope he'd brought.

"Please I need to go back, if I leave Alice alone-"

"You keep saying stuff like that." Elliot interrupted. "If the information I received is correct then you're supposed to be Alice. I'm not sure if you're trying to confuse me or if you're actually just crazy but this job is important, okay? If I don't receive this pay..." The brunette trailed off then, choosing instead to look down at the potato in his hands which he'd been currently peeling in an attempt to start dinner before the sun went down completely.

"Huh?" Green eyes blinked in confusion before the tiny blond began squirming again. "I'm not Alice! And she's not crazy either!"

"..." Elliot sighed and put the potato down temporarily. "Alright, I'll humor you for a bit. If you're not Alice, who are you?" He asked, crossing his arms and glaring at the other, blue eyes narrowed. A bit of wind was beginning to blow, subtly reminding Elliot that he should be finishing up dinner and setting up camp, not having a conversation with Alice.. or whoever the hell this was...

"My name is Oz. Just Oz." The smaller of the two replied almost immediately.

"Oz?" Elliot sighed again. "Alright let's assume your name is really Oz. What were you doing in that room?"

"I live there obviously."

"You... live there?" Elliot asked incredulously. He crossed his arms, making his disbelief apparent in his posture.

"Yep."

"So what about Alice?" The brunette pressed further.

"She lives there too." The blond replied immediately, green eyes blinking innocently at him. Elliot sighed. This really wasn't making any sense. Oz had been the only one there at the time, why would Alice have been out right at that moment? He'd heard from Jack that she seldom ever left her room at all, except when Oswald took her out for a chat or a stroll.

"Wait I still don't understand. Who are you and why are you living there? What's your relationship with Alice?" The brunette asked.

"Like I said, I'm Oz. Just Oz. I live there because... I guess because Lacie took me there maybe? And as for my relationship with Alice... I guess we're kind of like step brothers? Not by blood though."

Elliot practically dropped everything he was holding in his lap. He put everything down and walked over to Oz, quickly undoing the rope he'd lazily tied around him. The brunette then grasped him by the shoulders, his blue eyes staring right into Oz's emerald ones.

"Lacie as in... Lacie Baskerville? You knew Lacie Baskerville?!" Elliot demanded, his grip on Oz tightening.

"Y-yes? Lacie was like a mother to me... " Oz responded, smiling for a second before his gaze darkened, looking down. "Though I never got to thank her..."

"..." Elliot sighed, releasing his grip on Oz's shoulders as he looked back at him. "I wasn't aware that Lacie had been raising a child... They never mention anything like that in the stories."

"... Wait... Stories? What stories?" Now it was Oz who seemed desperate to ask questions. "There are stories of her? What kind of things do they say about her?" The blond asked, gripping one of Elliot's sleeves. He narrowed his eyes, waiting patiently for Elliot to respond. The brunette stared at him for a few more minutes before he sighed.

"Sit down, this might take some time."  
...

A/N: Late chapter. I know, I'm sorry D: But I will try to keep updating this one and my other stories a little faster! *bows* I'm sorry! Thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter, that really makes me want to write more. As for the questions a few of you asked I hope this chapter answered some of our doubts


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